Bottom filler



sept.8,1936. .L TARLQW Y 2,053,502v

BOTTOM FILLER Filed March 20, 1955 ATTORNEY A Patented Sept. 8, 1936 UNITED STATES PArsNr eric Y Bor'roM FILLER Isidor Tarlow, Brockton, Mass.

Application March 20,

3 Claims.

This invention relates to llers for the forepart cavity of shoes and to the process of its manufacture. The bottom-ller of this invention which functions to level the bottom of the shoe after lasting and to prepare the unbottomed shoe for outsoling, may be used to ll the forepart cavity of any type of shoe where the process of manufacture produces such a cavity, but is especially useful in welted shoes.

'I'he object of this invention is to produce a bottom-filler in one piece, preferably from sheet material of a substance having the qualities of preventing the formation of gutters in the insoles of a shoe after wear; of being incapable of shifting within the cavity to lump and create depressions and thus to maintain a at insole during wear of the shoe; and of inability to crawl out of place. Further characteristics of the preferred form of the bottom-filler permit air circulation or breathing and promote flexibility in the shoe.

To the accomplishment of these objects and such others as may hereinafter appear, as will readily be understood by those skilled in the art, the invention comprises the features and combinations of parts and processes of manufacture hereinafter described and then particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The nature and scope of the invention and its manufacture will be understood from a description of the preferred embodiment thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a view, in perspective, of a portion of a sheet of material usually supplied in strip form from which the filler may be processed;

Fig. 2 is a View, in plan, of a fragment of a strip of the filler material showing how half-sole shaped pieces may be dinked therefrom;

Fig. 3 is an edge view of a one-piece bottom lller showing its skived shank end; and

Fig. 4 is a view, in plan, of the preferred form of the bottom-filler produced by the process.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawing In represents a sheet or piece of rubber stock known as friction-scrap. Ordinarily, as obtained in the form of waste, friction-scrap retains a considerable degree of elasticity and is highly flexible. The friction-scrap useful for bottom-fillers may be the waste from Worn tires, both cord and fabric, and may also include the like Waste from hose and belting or any similar waste having a contained reinforcement of cotton fibre or its equivalent. 'I'hese sheets or strips of friction-scrap vary in thickness. The bottomfiller, which is used to level the bottom. of a,

1935, Serial No. 11,994

shoe before outsoling, requires a thickness or weight that will ill the cavity between the insole and outsole formed by the overlasted margin of the upper or, in a welt shoe, the projecting sewing-rib to which the overlasted upper has beenv 5 secured by the inseam. The forepart cavity to be filled is thus bounded, except at its shank end, by the overlasted upper.

If the sheet or strip l@ is too thick, a sheet c1' strip 20 of the desired thickness is obtained by 10 splitting as indicated in Fig. 1. Fig. 2 illustrates the dinking of a plurality of half-sole shaped pieces 25 from a strip 2Q, although it will be understood that these pieces 25 may be cut from the friction-scrap as rst received if of proper thick- 15 ness for the forepart cavity of the particular shoes being manufactured. In practice some splitting or skiving to nal thickness is ordinarily required.

Each half-sole shaped piece 25 is then skived to a relatively wide bevel edge 32 at its straight or shank end 35 (see Figs, 3 and 4) so that this end of the filler may merge with the insole at the shank of the shoe and thus completely effect its leveling. The bottom-filler 3i? as thus produced, may be used in the shoe but it is preferred that another step be performed in its manufacture.

Because friction-scrap is principally rubber provision should be made for a circulation of air therethrough in order to overcome an overheating of the feet of the wearer of the shoes. This is called breathing. Accordingly ata convenient stage of the process, most efciently before the half-sole shaped pieces 25 are dinked, the bottom-filler is made foraminous as by perforating with a multiplicity of small holes 36. These holes are not so large as to permit forming depressions in the filler when it is distorted from any cause .as by the varying weight of the wearer of the shoe upon the overlying insole or in flexing with the forepart of the shoe.l In practice holes 1/8 to 1A; of an inch in diameter have been found eflicient for breathing and for ensuring a permanent at sock face on the insole of the shoe. The bottomfiller 4l), Fig. 5, is provided with both shank end bevel 32 and breathing perforations 33. It will be understood that the heavy dot or dash lines on the figures of the drawing indicate the layers of continuous strands of cotton fibre characteristic of worn tire friction-scrap.

The bottom-filler of this invention will not crack in flexing, is suiiiciently elastic to be comfortable but not sufciently so to lose the parallelism of its faces so that the outsole wears even. '.lhe .new nner, with its quality of non-distortion,

The nature and scope of the invention having been indicated, and its embodiment and process of its manufacture having been specically described, what is claimed as new, isz- 1. A one-piece shoe bottom ller preparedV oi the shoe to nal size for insertion Within a shoe bottom cavity consisting of a sheet principally of rubber stiiened by a bre reinforcement comprising continuous strands of the bre situated in layers throughout the thickness of the sheet.

2. A one-piece shoe bottom ller according to claim 1, characterized by a multiplicity of perforations of such size as to avoid peripheral depres sion by excess pressure localized to the area about one or more perforations,

3. A one-piece shoe ller pad prepared off the shoe to size for filling the shoe bottom cavity within the sewing 'rib of a welt shoe consisting of a sheet principally of rubber reinforced with strands of bre extending entirely across the filler and through the edge Walls thereof to stiffen said edge walls for supporting the surrounding sewingrib.

ISIDOR TARLOW. 

